The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Week 13

Hail State Bulldog fans! It’s time for some Thanksgiving turkey and dressing. You know nothing goes better with Thanksgiving turkey than putting a good ol’ ass whooping on those Rebels. This year, TSUN travels back to Starkville. The last time they came down here, they took out our quarterback, Nick Fitzgerald, and then they had the gall to act like they were peeing in our end zone. Actions like these are direct reflections of the leadership of the ‘not so fine’ Ole Miss institution.

Now, I would like to take this opportunity to present some clarity on our possibility of going bowling this season. As it stands, all roads to a 10th straight bowl game goes through those tacky Baby Sharks. If we don’t win Thursday, then our season is over. In short, we have to win the Egg Bowl to go bowling/ Period!!!! The Water Bears are already out of the running and they would like nothing more than to knock State out of the running as well.

This past Saturday, the Bulldogs went out and got a much-needed win against Abilene Christian University. Mississippi State played pretty good in that game, but in no way good enough to beat the Meatballs from up north.

This game will be very interesting to watch. The Wet Rebels have discovered a new found love of the run game while also sporting a very good defensive front that is tough to penetrate on the ground. The Bulldogs will have to be productive in the passing game in order to run effectively. On defense, we must develop ways to stop that squirrel they have for a quarterback in John Rhys Plumlee. Watching him play is like watching a cobra trying to catch a mongoose in open terrain, not easy at all. I just hope we have a defensive plan to slow that joker down. If we do, then we might just have a chance.

With that being said, Let’s Talk Hail State football, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of week 13 versus ACU.

THE GOOD!

First of all, a win is a win. This game was just as important to the Mississippi State Bulldogs program as any other. I know that it seems like a laughing matter when you play in the SEC West, but with the year we are having, this game was actually very important for a potential bowl game.

The ground game was hitting on all cylinders this past Saturday. Kylin Hill rushing for 153 yards in 16 carries. In addition to his running, Hill also hauled in an 88-yard touchdown reception. In short, Hill had a pretty good day. I hope it carries over to next week’s matchup with the Baby Sharks.

The BAD!

I need to address the play of the quarterbacks. Both Tommy Stevens and Garrett Shrader got playing time, but Stevens carried the majority of the game. In three and a half quarters, Stevens threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-27, which is a completion rate under 50%. These numbers are not very good when you consider the competition we faced in ACU.

Stevens did very well in the run game, rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. I have to give him credit in the run game, and he has started to show some toughness in his ability to take a hit. Yet, I must point out that these numbers were put up over the majority of the game all the way to the midpoint of the fourth quarter.

Let’s compare Garrett Shrader’s numbers with his less than 10 minutes of playing time. In the run game Shrader, rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. Pretty good for coming off the bench. To support his rushing, he finished 3-of-3 in the passing game for 40 yards and another touchdown, which is a 100% completion rate. Why am I pointing this out? Well, because Jo Mo will make the biggest decision of his Mississippi State coaching career this coming Thursday when he picks his starting quarterback. As we all know, if we lose the Egg Bowl, things will get ugly in Starkville for sure.

The UGLY!

This was a no-brainer, receiver’s that can’t catch the ball. This is a situation that cannot happen against the Black Bears/Sharks-Rebels. For us to have a real chance to win this game, we will have to do several things that we are just not that good at this season. First and foremost, catch the damn ball when it hits your hands. Second, stop playing touch football and wrap up the runner. This hand slapping crap kills me every time I see it. Third and last, even though Ole Piss doesn’t have a good passing game, we need to prevent any form of big plays in the little bit of passing game they do have.

I must admit I am really worried about this game, and it’s because the Black Sharks are only good at the thing we are bad at stopping. That is not a good thing in any way for us. I sure hope our coaching staff has this team ready for a fight on Thursday night.

P.S., there probably will be a fight at some point, so all the players might want to keep their helmet on the entire game, maybe even halftime. Hopefully this year’s contest will move along without any extracurricular activities. BABY shark, shark, shark!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to the Bulldog family!

HAIL STATE AND GO DAWGS!